Kuala lumpur: The national women's tennis squad have a strong opportunity to make a deep run in the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia/Oceania Group II competition at the National Tennis Centre in Jalan Duta here and challenge for promotion to Group I next year.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, national team head coach Muliyadi Jamal said home advantage could provide the extra edge for Malaysia after being drawn in Group B alongside Taiwan, Laos, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka for the week-long competition from tomorrow until June 20. "I think if we look at the draw, the groups are fairly balanced. I believe we have a chance of reaching the final stage. Hopefully, our players can deliver," he told a press conference here today.

Group A consists of Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Pacific Oceania, the Philippines, and Singapore. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, while the champion will qualify for the Group I competition. Each tie will consist of two singles matches and one doubles match.

Malaysia, who have never competed in Group I, have reached the Group II semi-finals in each of the last three editions, their best achievement in the tournament to date. They lost 2-0 to Indonesia in the semi-finals last year.

Meanwhile, national senior player Sharifah Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman welcomed the draw and believes Malaysia have a chance of mounting a serious challenge in the tournament. The 22-year-old is also unfazed by the responsibility of being the most experienced player in a squad largely made up of juniors. "Most of them are juniors or younger but I feel reassured by them because they are my good friends and we all bring each other up. So I'm quite happy with them," she said.